Horse show

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A horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels.

Contents

[edit] International organizations and competitions

There are ten international disciplines run under rules established by the Fédération équestre internationale (FEI):

The rules of the FEI govern competitions open to riders from all nations, including the Olympic games and the World Equestrian Games.

At the other end of the competition spectrum, Pony Club is an international movement that teaches young people riding skills suitable for eventing and other English riding competition. To help develop positive experience and good sportsmanship, Pony Clubs also sponsor horse shows open only to young people under the age of 18 and their horses. Various nations also have their own programs for developing young equestrians, such as the 4-H program in the United States.

[edit] Horse shows within various nations

The United States Equestrian Federation is the American national body for equestrian sport. It also organizes and sponsors horse shows for many horse breeds who wish to utilize the drug testing, judge certification and standardize rulemaking process of the USEF. In addition, it sanctions events in disciplines and lower-level competitive areas that are not internationally recognized, such as show hunter and equitation. Other US organizations such as the National Cutting organize competitions for specific disciplines, and some breed organizations such as the American Quarter Horse Association sanction their own breed-specific shows.

Horse shows in the United States take several forms: Some are restricted to a particular breed, others are "open" or "all-breed" horse shows, which offer both classes open to all breeds as well as breed-specific classes for many different breeds. In the last few decades, American "open" horse shows have tended to become specialized by discipline into hunter-jumper or "sport horse" shows, dressage shows, and shows featuring Western riding events. However, there are still some multi-day, all-breed events that feature multiple breeds and disciplines, such as the American Royal in Kansas City, Missouri and the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado.

In the United Kingdom, horse shows include many different classes for different horses and ponies. For example, there are classes for traditional breeds found in the British isles. There are also classes which compare different horse abilities at jumping and their manners when ridden. Affiliated societies, such as Ponies UK and the British Show Pony Society have large shows each year. These events last several days and include many different classes.

Horse shows in Australia are governed by the Equestrian Federation of Australia.

[edit] Awards

Prize money is sometimes awarded, particularly at larger competitions. The sum varies by the placing of the rider, the prestige of the show, and the difficulty of the class. Horse Shows do not offer cash purses as large as those the thoroughbred racing industry, though a few of the biggest show jumping, cutting and reining competitions may offer purse money into the low five figures. However, most show horses in the United States, especially those at the amateur levels, rarely win significant cash prizes during their show career. At best, a solid competitor might break even on entry fees and, if they are quite lucky, cover some travel expenses. Most money made from showing horses is indirectly earned by breeding fees paid for top horses, the sale of their offspring, or from the training fees paid to top trainers.

Trophies are usually awarded to the first place horse in a class, depending on the size of the show. In a championship event, trophies may be awarded to both the champion and the reserve champion, and at a national or international show, trophies are sometimes given to the top five to ten competitors.

Medals are given at international events such as the World Equestrian Games and the Olympics, with only three medals, Gold, Silver, and Bronze, awarded to the top three individuals or teams.

Ribbons are often given for the top six place horses as well as the overall champion, although some of the bigger classes may increase this number to the top ten. Ribbon color varies from country to country.

Ribbon color is as shown in the following chart:

Prize Ribbon Colors
Australia Canada Czech
Republic		 The
Netherlands		 New Zealand Norway United
Kingdom		 United States Olympics
(medals)
1st blue red yellow orange red red, blue, white red blue gold 1st
2nd red blue white red blue red blue red silver 2nd
3rd white white red white yellow blue yellow yellow bronze 3rd
4th green yellow blue blue green green green white blue 4th
5th yellow green green green pink yellow pink pink red 5th
6th brown pink violet pink purple purple green green 6th
7th purple any other color purple orange 7th
8th brown brown violet 8th
9th orange gray 9th
10th light blue light blue 10th
Champion blue,
red,
white		 red,
blue,
white		 red,
white,
blue		 blue,
red,
yellow		 Champion
Reserve
Champion		 blue,
white,
yellow		 red,
yellow,
white		 Reserve
Champion

Champion & Reserve Champion ribbons are commonly called Tri-colors. They are usually a combination of the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place colors (2nd, 3rd, & 4th for Reserve Champion).

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Horse show sanctioning organizations

[edit] Pony Club national organizations

[edit] Major national and international level all breed horse shows

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